After three years of insufficient rainfall due to climate change, tens of thousands of Somalis have begun to flee their villages in search of a better life.
The drought was not as severe when Ibrahim Abdiyow fled Diinsoor in the Baay region as it is now.
He claimed that community members had lost all of their livelihoods as a result of the drought’s devastation.
“I didn’t have camels that could survive for weeks without water.” When all the wells dried up and the grasslands were destroyed, I fled to Bardhere in search of work, but that is no longer the case because the town is overcrowded with internally displaced persons who lack access to water, shelter, and toilets,” he said to the Anadolu Agency.
Abdiyow is not the only one who has fled villages to the Bardhere district in Somalia’s southern state of Jubaland’s Gedo region.
Suuban Abdi, who fled the Diinsoor district in the Baay region, said she and her children arrived at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of Bardhere after walking long distances on foot while carrying their children, with some residents believing they would receive assistance one day.
She has no idea what climate change is, but she believes it is something that should not be overlooked if it is related to or has contributed to current conditions.
“I’ve been here with my kids hoping they’ll be able to live a better life than they did in our villages back in the day,” she said. “However, I’ve realized that the situation is worsening, so we must keep a positive attitude and pray for our kids to have a better future, which is uncertain now.”